November 20, 2014

DIY Ikea Rast Makeover with Weathered Gray Wood Stain

Hey ya'll! So, I think I've pinned about 400 Ikea Rast Hacks, but I've never actually done one of my own. Mostly because there's no Ikea anywhere near Knoxville, but also because I love to repurpose thrift store finds (as opposed to tediously assembling furniture).But, when it came time to furnish the guest bedroom, I decided to check out what this Rast business was all about.

I was pretty excited to discover that you can order Ikea stuff online, AND that the Rast was only $35. I'm probably the only person in the world who didn't know this information.

It arrived in a tiny little box and looked deceptively simple.

And then I started unpacking the box.

And immediately regretted telling Jesse that I wanted to do this on my own.

It eventually started to take shape.

And after 3 reruns of Top Chef, a tiny wooden square of a dresser was born.

I was bummed at how pathetic it looked in person, but I felt like an assembling champion at this point, so...irrelevant.

Then, I called Jesse back into my 'workspace' and asked him to help me drill some additional holes for my hardware.

After the dresser was all ready to go, I decided to create a weathered/driftwood gray look.

I tested out several different stains and eventually settled on Rustoleum Ultimate Wood Stain in Sunbleached (affiliate link). It looked more tan on the outside of the can, but once I applied the stain, it was the perfect shade of light weathered gray.

For a topcoat, I used Varathane polyurethane in Matte. I didn't want any sort of sheen on the wood (so that it would look truly weathered), but at the same time I wanted the surface to be durable. The matte Varathane totally did the trick.

A few tips for staining raw wood furniture:

1. Make sure you sand your piece with fine grit sandpaper first, as this will make the wood soak up the stain better.

This is crucial.

2. Use a dropcloth with a plastic layer to protect your floors, as the stain is messy and will run.

3. Apply the stain with a rag or paintbrush. I prefer a cheap paintbrush.

4. Once the stain is dry (I let it dry for a full day), apply 1-2 layers of the topcoat with a paintbrush and let that fully cure before using the dresser.

The process is truly as simple as just brushing on the stain. The directions say to wipe off the excess, but I found that it looked way better if I just let the stain absorb into the wood and then dry.

My only complaint would be the smell. The topcoat I used was water based and didn't smell at all, but the stain was oil based and gave off a lot of fumes. So, just make sure to ventilate your workspace.

I naively started staining the dresser in the bedroom, where I usually paint, and immediately realized, NOPE, this isn't going to work. Cut to me in a hazmat suit in the haunted house room with 2 fans and open windows.

Learn from my mistakes. Buy a house with a non-gross garage.

Once the dresser was dry, I added some pretty little Victorian brass cup pulls that I found here.

They added the perfect little amount of sass.

I'm just so happy with the way these little nightstands turned out, and they fit perfectly in the finished guest bedroom.

I just finally finished this room, after painting the walls

(Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray), and installing new trim.

NEVER AGAIN, YA'LL.

It finally all came together with the addition of the two Rasts, an upholstered bed I found on Craigslist, a shiny new chandelier, and my favorite little zebra rug from Rugs USA.

And here are the rest of the source details in one handy place...just in case you're curious:

41 comments:

I love the way you can come up with colors! I am not that lucky, which is why my home never looks presentable. My hope is to one day have a bright looking home like yours, but I have kids, so I am guessing that won't happen until they get to high school. A girl can dream though. But, seriously kudos on this hack! love it.

Have you already mentioned where and what kind of pillow inserts you use? I am so sick of the super stiff cheap-os I need some pillows that can effortlessly take a chop and hold their own. They just look so weighty and luxurious!

Hi Brittany! I usually use down alternative pillow inserts (or just whatever extra pillows I have laying around!). If you're looking for the 'chop', a down or down alternative pillow will give you that look. :)

Looks awesome! I love all of your DIY stuff--I re-did my kitchen cabinets based off of your post and it turned out wonderfully! I'll have to keep this one in mind once we furnish our guest bedroom completely!

Nice Job! I love IKEA and try to make it at least once a year. Your gray room turned out very nicely - I appreciate the work it takes to assemble such a nice area on a budget, using every form known to man to shop it all out...love love love posts about how someone finds great deals, makes the item their own through DIY and then shares it with the world!

hi could you please make a post about 'how to paint furniture without running marks/drips'? also i love how the dressers turned out, might to the same but in black as love your office and now i am arranging my guest bedroom into office/bedroom in the colors of your office:) going o use back/champagne combination

my random thoughts while reading this post: while I don't think I've pinned many, I've endlessly searched pinterest multiple times for rast hacks. eventually I plan on painting my master bedroom grey (I really like the grey you used here and I've been stuck on exactly which grey to use, so seeing this particular color used in a real space may just have swayed me!) and getting two of the rasts to hack as nightstands. Originally I wanted to paint them white but I'm *really* digging the way they look with that grey wash. Gorgeous! Love the pulls you used as well. And um, your photos are on their (D. Lawless) website...how freaking cool is that?! Anyway, I can't believe you found that bed on craigslist...I kind of hate you and love you all at the same time for that. I've been dying to find an upholstered bed. I have the Ana White plans for a platform bed that I think I will probably just build and upholster, since no one around here sells amazing things like that on CL and I flat out refuse (as does my bank account) to pay six hundred bucks for one. Also the lamps...why can't I find gorgeous lamps like that at a thrift shop?! Seriously I'm thinking that I just live in the complete wrong part of the country. So yeah...thanks for basically putting everything I want to do in my master together in one convenient post. I shall bookmark and refer to this once I get around to actually starting the process. Oh, and I think you forgot a very important tip for finishing those rasts...make sure you look as cute as humanly possible while doing so. You look adorable!! :)

I just found your blog and I absolutely LOVE your decor and style. I just bought a new house that is much like yours (70's split level in need of some serious TLC) and I know I'll be using a lot of your projects/advice to spruce it up. Do you have any other blog suggestions for diy/thrift store projects? Thanks!

I need to move to your neighbourhood because you always have the best thrift store finds for you home! I've been desperately seeking any sort of interestingly shaped lamps for months and months but it seems people are only getting rid of their giant blob lamps around here. Thanks for the perfect stain combo - I love the weathered/barnwood look but have never seen a non-natural way of doing it that was easy and accessible!

I was wondering what you think in the size of the rast? Our bedroom is insanely small and it won't even fit a dresser so I need storage badly. I was considering the tarva which will fit perfectly but for half the price and a bit smaller I'm thinking the rast.

I have four of these in my house right now (2 in the master, 2 in the guest room) that are waiting to be painted. I've been putting it off for a couple years because I'm scared they'll ruin them. I guess at $35 and a two hour drive each way to get new ones, I should just suck it up.

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Hi! I'm Virginia! I'm a newlywed & new homeowner who loves decorating and DIY projects. Making something new out of something old is what inspires me! I'm constantly looking for affordable ways to transform our house! This is my place to share inspirations and DIY! Oh, and maybe talk a little bit about my love for very fat cats. View my story